⏩ Babble Royale | PC | Ten Minute Taster | "Let Scrabble Commence!" ⏩ #GameDev #IndieGames

Babble Royale is an intense multiplayer free-for-all that combines word-making skills with fast-paced tactical and strategic action.

Earn money and collect loot to upgrade your abilities, outrun the deadly hot zone, and outwit or outlast all your opponents to have the Last Word!

🌆Beyond a Steel Sky | Xbox Series X | Review | 8/10 | “A few technical problems don't dampen the wonderful story and charming characters” 🌆 @RevSoftGames #IndieGames #GameDev

To talk about Beyond a Steel Sky, I have to talk about its prequel - Beneath a Steel Sky - and how important it is to me. One of my earliest gaming memories was sitting next to my big brother, watching him play this strange but quirky point and click game. 

It looked like nothing I had ever seen before, I was 5 years old - so pretty much everything looked new to me - but this game was so visually different from the games that we usually played, as an adult; I now know this was my first experience of cyberpunk - a genre and style I would come to love. 

Beneath a Steel Sky was a game I had never revisited, the childlike wonder was still my only impression, that was until I got this to review; and after 26 years, I finally replayed it and boy did it stand up to my first impression, it’s simply amazing. So now after so many years, a sequel has arrived, could it capture the wonder of my youth or should it have stayed in the ‘90s?

💺 AndaSeat Launches the Gorgeous Looking Phantom 3 Gaming Chair 💺 @andaseatchair

World-leading gaming chair brand, AndaSeat, who previously manufactured race car seats today announces the launch of its latest gaming chair -The Phantom 3

🍔🐮 Happy's Humble Burger Farm | Xbox Series X Review | 8/10 | "Well, burger me!" 🍔🐮 @HappysHumble #IndieGames #GameDev

Well, burger me! I rarely miss a deadline and suddenly I find myself chased for this review, which is fine. It is the threat of being ground down, seasoned and grilled to perfection that concerns me.

Oh, wait, that’s the premise to this game from the Scythe Dev Team

Is this game as delicious as it sounds?

Let us find out.

🪙 The Forgotten City | Nintendo Switch | Review | 9/10 | "8-10 Hours of Adventure Mystery Romp" 🪙 @ModnStoryteller #IndieGames #GameDev

I’ll be honest, in the first few minutes I was worried that I really wasn’t going to like this game. And I was wrong, so gloriously and happily wrong. 

A little history: The Forgotten City started out life as one of Skyrim’s many mods, and it was successful. So successful in fact that the developers took the idea, built upon it, and fleshed it out into the standalone game I’m reviewing today, creating a gloriously designed Greco-Roman city, replete with fantastically written characters, period-accurate architecture, and a central gameplay mechanic that is simultaneously clever, fun, and educational (yeah, I know – they don’t go together often). 

I went into The Forgotten City completely blind, and I would recommend that you do the same. It’s hard to review a game like this one without some kind of spoilers, so if you’d like to get the absolute most out of it, stop reading after this statement: The Forgotten City is 8-10 hours of adventure mystery romp, driven by fantastically written and acted dialogue. Play it. 

🏌️‍♀️⛳️ Smoots Golf | Xbox Series X | Review | 6/10 | "Not Quite Up To Par" 🏌️‍♀️⛳️@JanduSoft #IndieGames #GameDev

The last title I reviewed from Jandusoft was Cards of the Dead, a clever and simple zombie survival deck game that was released just before Halloween and provided a few hours of tense, pixelated fun.

When I saw that Jandusoft were releasing Smoots Golf, I leapt at the chance to cover it without even looking at the trailer, as I’d had such a good time with Cards of the Dead – and I love to golf!

☔️ Kathy Rain: Directors Cut | Nintendo Switch | Review | 8.5/10 | "A Gripping Point & Click Adventure" ☔️ @ClifftopGames #GameDev #IndieGames

This is my sleeper hit of 2021, I'm very enamoured with Kathy Rain. 

Point and click adventures always bring a smile to my face, they bring back strong memories of my youth, sitting next to my big bro and going through games like Monkey Island or Beneath a Steel Sky, it’s a genre that - when done well - really can create some wonderful and interesting games. 

Whilst I didn’t have my big bro next to me this time, even flying solo this game really struck a chord with me.

📸 Project Zero: Maiden of Black Water | XBOX Series X | Review | 7/10 | "Yes, This Game is D.A.R.K." 📸 @project_zero_kt @ShowMeMagic #IndieGame #GameDev #IndieGames

At the time of writing this, it’s Halloween season, a time to immerse yourself in anything scary; watch a few horrors, play a couple of spooky games - and this year is no different as I’ve been asked to review this Japanese supernatural game which is either a blessing or a curse, only time will tell.  I have always had a thing for Asian horror movies. They are so atmospheric and the separation from the Western world just takes it to another level. This game is no exception.

🕹️Coin-Op: The Arcade Guide | Written by Darren Doyle | Greyfox Books | Review🕹️@greyfoxbooks #Retrogaming #Arcade

Available from - https://www.greyfoxbooks.com/product/coin-op-the-arcade-guide/

The world of arcade machines seems vast and full of undiscovered gold. I’ll regularly be reading books or articles on the subject and come across a handful of games that I didn’t even know existed. Often, they are variations on a theme, but I’m always keen to find out every last morsel of information available – especially if they are side-scrolling brawlers, a genre which I am particularly drawn to for its visceral, button-hammering thrills.

Coin-Op: The Arcade Guide is clearly a book made with a real passion for the subject matter, and whilst there are some rough edges in terms of clunky sentences, typographical errors and a very busy visual design – there’s a compulsive thirst to the way that the author presents the work, this is best captured in the introductory text to each section of the book; a real desire for the reader to share the joy and reverence that Darren Doyle has for these releases and the memories tied to discovering and playing them.

👶DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT Arrives on PC Spring 2022 | Enhanced by New Intel Technology 👶

This news makes me want to play Death Stranding on my PC...

505 Games, global publisher of the PC version of Hideo Kojima’s genre-defying DEATH STRANDING in partnership with KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS, unveiled at CES 2022 it will publish the DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT on PC, launching simultaneously on both the Epic Games Store and Steam in spring 2022.

Embark on an emotional trek across a fractured world with this definitive version of DEATH STRANDING, now amplified with the power of Intel’s new Xe Super Sampling (XeSS) graphics technology. XeSS’s machine learning further enriches DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT’s already-stunning graphical fidelity as well as elevating gameplay and cutscene performance. This improved edition also features higher frame rates, a new photo mode and ultra-wide monitor support to fully take in the sights of Sam Bridges’ journey. 

 

Kojima Productions’ debut title was one of the most-anticipated games of the last decade. Led by a star-studded cast including Norman Reedus as Sam Bridges, DEATH STRANDING takes Sam on a perilous journey across ravaged remains of America to reunite the country.

 

🕹️ Taito Arcade Selection | Egret II | mini 🕹️#Arcade #RetroGaming

United Games Entertainment has announced that they have exclusive rights for distribution and sales of Taito’s EGRET II mini in the West. 

Set for release in 2022, this cool looking piece of gaming hardware is creating great excitement in Japan.

🛹🐦 Skatebird | Nintendo Switch | Review | 4/10 | "Tony Squawks" 🐦🛹@glassbottommeg #GameDev #IndieGames

I'm a curmudgeonly old sod. I remember seasons living up to their descriptions, and turning up when they should. I remember having to memorise phone numbers if I wanted to call someone. I remember penny sweets being a penny. And I remember the original Tony Hawk's Pro Skater coming out. 

And there lies the rub. In reviewing Skatebird, I find myself constantly wondering whether Tony ruined me for other men. Birds. Games. OK, it isn't a great analogy but, we are where we are.

🏰 6Souls | XBOX | Review | 8/10 | "She Sells 6Souls on the Seashore" 🏰 #GameDev #IndieGame

“My soul is prepared… How’s yours?”

A question put to Indiana Jones by a member of the Brotherhood of the Cruciform Sword while facing a boat propeller-induced nose job, and a pertinent question to ask yourself before launching 6Souls, a new pixel art action platformer thrust onto the gaming scene in December 2021.

🏆 🎮 Games Freezer - Games Of the Year - Part IV - "Rich" 🎮 #GOTY21 #GOTY2021 #GameOfTheYear2021

Oh, my word I have played a LOT of video games this year and it has been an absolute pleasure to bring you my thoughts via the juggernaut that is Games Freezer.

I have worked with Britt and the gang tirelessly in 2021 to make Games Freezer a place that you can all call home as we attempt to deliver you great video games stuff directly from our frozen cavern of video gaming goodness into your noggins for consumption.

My love for everyone involved is strong and it's this time of year when we get to reflect on exactly what happened in the preceding 365 days. I love how many moments you get that are like "Oh my word I remember that game! I forgot how great it was!"

When it comes to end of year lists and Game Of the Year contenders I always use those lists as a method to pick out the games that I have maybe missed from that year so as I can pick them up in the following year.

With that in mind, I decided that I would pull together initially a TOP 10 List of the games that I have loved in 2021 and then give you an even longer list of the games that deserve their moment in the limelight.

So here goes nothing as I give you my top ten video games of 2021 according to how much I loved playing them.

🏆 🎮 Games Freezer - Games Of the Year - Part III - "@PixelHunted" 🎮 #GOTY21 #GOTY2021 #GameOfTheYear2021

Pixel Hunted steps up to the plate to fire off 3 amazing games from his 2021...

🏆 🎮 Games Freezer - Games Of the Year - Part II - "Britt" 🎮 #GOTY21 #GOTY2021 #GameOfTheYear2021

Britt’s Games (and other things) of The Year

Much love to all the GF readers and my colleagues, all of whom have been awesome, as always.

The biggest hug, however, goes to Rich, the evil puppeteer that keeps all of our strings from getting tangled, as he laughs maniacally down at the twisted landscape that he has created in his own icy image.

I’m taking a slightly different approach to my games of the year this time around, throwing in a few mentions for things that aren’t strictly ‘games’ as such, but nonetheless were highlights of 2021 for me.

Whilst the list is in no particular order, it’s fair to say that if it were ‘best to worst – at the top would still be:

🎮 WAVE Game Studio Interview 🎮 @WaveGameStudios #IndieGames #GameDev

WAVE Game Studios are the publishers behind Senile Team’s Intrepid Izzy, a brand new Dreamcast game that was very well received at GF HQ (https://www.gamesfreezer.co.uk/2021/07/intrepid-izzy-dreamcast-review-910-im.html?m=1) and they recently - and impressively - travelled the width and breadth of the UK in a bid to spread the word of Intrepid Izzy far and wide. 

Taking time out of their mile-crushing schedule to talk to us at Games Freezer, we took the opportunity to get to the heart of this extremely hands-on and quite frankly, impressively gruelling mission.

💺 GT Player Music Series Gaming Chair (GT890MF) | GF APPROVED 💺

https://uk.gtracing.com/collections/music-series/products/music-series-gt890mf?variant=40993041383588

GF APPROVED!

With a wide array of gaming chairs, the GT Racing / GT Player brand has been making an impact on their customers over the last couple of years; with prominent YouTubers and Esports teams using and promoting them (in November, GT Racing announced a partnership with the Manchester City Esports team).

When they came onto my radar, the look, design, and capabilities of the chairs seemed like they were perhaps overstated somewhat in comparison to their price bracket, which is extremely reasonable. I’m pleased to say, however – after using the GT890MF for at least ten hours a day for well over a week, they really do deliver the goods.

🎮 Games Freezer - Games Of the Year - Part I - "Transvaal" 🎮 #GOTY21 #GOTY2021 #GameOfTheYear2021

Here we go it's Games Freezer Game Of The Year Time and first up with his GOTY List is Transvaal!

Behold his flaming pen of truth!

⏰🤖 Clockwork Aquario | PS4 | Ten Minute Taster | "A Resurrected Work Of Art From Mr Wonder Boy!" ⏰🤖 @WonderBoyWild #IndieGames #IndieGame #GameDev

 

Travelling from the year1992, Clockwork Aquario now finally arrives on our Switch and PS4 screens!

https://www.iningames.com/games/clockwork-aquario

🚗💨🚁 Agent Intercept, the over-the-top arcade action game with a transforming spy vehicle 🚗💨🚁

We just came across this awesome looking game called Agent Intercept what do you think?

Agent Intercept, the over-the-top arcade action game with a transforming spy vehicle from developer PikPok, decodes a message calling for a Q1 2022 launch for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One.

Hop behind the wheel of the Sceptre, a souped-up spy vehicle capable of swapping from a sports car to a sleek plane, speedboat, or snow-shredding sledge at the push of a button. 

Drift around cliffside corners, catch some waves, and do a barrel roll in the skies while facing off against the evil organization CLAW and its army of attack helicopters, submarines, and other assault vehicles.

https://pikpok.com/games/agent-intercept

💺🎮 Improve Your Comfort While Gaming With These Tips 💺🎮

Playstation Computer Console - Free photo on Pixabay

Being comfortable while gaming is not only important to improve your gameplay and not make you feel irritated after sitting still and focused for an hour or more. Comfort during gameplay will also work to maintain and improve your health while gaming. From protecting your eye health to your mental health, here are the best tips to improve your comfort while gaming. 

⏰🤖 Clockwork Aquario | PS4 | Review | 7/10 | "A Resurrected Work Of Art From Mr Wonder Boy!" ⏰🤖 @WonderBoyWild #IndieGames #GameDev #RetroGaming

Clockwork Aquario holds the Guinness World Record title for the longest time between a videogame project start and final release. With the development initially starting in 1991 and then completing in 2021, Clockwork Aquario takes over the mantle from Duke Nukem Forever that held the Guinness World Record title right up until December 2021.

🕹️ Nacon Revolution X Controller | GF Approved 🕹️ @Nacon @BrittRecluseuk

Here at GF HQ, several writers have covered Nacon’s products over the last year or so and all have been impressed with the build quality and design. I’m pleased to report that this high level continues with the Revolution X, a GF recommended way to take control of your game.

⚔️✴️ Shadow Tactics: Blades Of The Shogun - AIKOS CHOICE | PC | Gameplay | "Stealth Chess" ⚔️✴️ @MimimiProd #GameDev #IndieGames #IndieGame

Aiko's Choice is the anticipated standalone expansion to the acclaimed stealth strategy game Shadow Tactics. Set in Edo Japan, you take control of the skilful kunoichi adept Aiko and her deadly assassin friends to hunt down the ghosts of her past.

💽 Murder by Numbers: Original Game Soundtrack | Vinyl Review 💽 @m_sugimori @blackscreenrec #Vinyl #VideoGameVinyl #VGMVinyl

Artist - Masakazu Sugimori

Available at: https://blackscreenrecords.com

Released to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Mediatonic’s visual novel meets investigative puzzler Murder by Numbers, this catchy and energetic soundtrack features all of Masakazu Sugimori’s compositions on a double vinyl release, created by and available from Black Screen Records.

The album really covers a lot of sonic ground and dances between genres; but always has a sense of cohesion caused not only by the warm production but the sense of melody and a musical approach that feels intrinsically Japanese. 

Presented on two 180g vinyl – one purple and the other a vibrant yellow – held in a gatefold style cover and contained within anti-static sleeves (always a bonus), the cover itself shows Honor and Scout (the main protagonists) as well as a handful of other characters from the game against a background that echoes the purple colour of the vinyl within.

This is all framed as if in a section of film stock, furthering the sense that this is a narrative-driven game. I’d also like to point out the very ‘Phoenix Wright-esque’ pose sported by Honor on the cover, you KNOW that is a pose that will be familiar to players of Murder by Numbers!

Opening up the gatefold, the inside rocks a very ‘90s vibe with that shade of purple again making a reappearance as well as some shapes and styles that wouldn’t look out of place if used as a background in the Mega Drive classic Toejam and Earl. Overlaying the patterns are cut-out sketches of scenes and characters from the game.

The back of the record continues the film cell styling and lists the tracks on each side – 29 in all.

⚔️ Grim Dawn: Definitive Edition | Xbox Series X | Review | 7.5/10 | "Grim Me Up Buttercup" ⚔️ @GrimDawn #GameDev #IndieGames #IndieGame #IndieGameDev

ARPG hack ‘n slashers are usually games that I play in booze-fuelled co-op sessions as the mindless, button-tapping violence combined with natural drink-pouring breaks as each player fumbles around with their loot is a genuine match made in heaven. In a charity event a couple of years ago, however - whereby myself and two friends completed Diablo 3 in under twelve hours  - I felt like I had overloaded on the genre and moved away from it for a while.

🤜💥🤛 Fights In Tight Spaces | PC | Ten Minute Taster | "AKA Knights In White Satin" 🤜💥🤛 @Fightsgame #IndieGame #IndieGames #GameDev

Fights in Tight Spaces is a stylish blend of deck-building, turn-based tactics, and thrilling animated fight sequences in classic action-movie settings. Learn to balance your hand, momentum, and positioning to overcome the odds to defeat your adversaries. Build your deck, control the space and live to fight another day.

Watch me as I jump kick some baddies badly!

🔥🔥 “Rising Hell” - This Indie gem has you headbanging on a highway from hell! - Limited Boxed Versions Available For Pre-Order 🔥🔥 @risinghellgame #IndieGame #IndieGameDev #IndieGames #GameDev

Strictly Limited Games, in partnership with Chorus Worldwide Games & Toge Productions, are proud to announce that Tahoe Games’ indie-gem “Rising Hell” will receive an exclusive, limited physical release.

This 2D action rogue-lite with a stylish pixel-look offers tons of adrenaline-pumping action, underlined by bone-shredding heavy-metal riffs, as you fight your way through the ghoulish gatekeepers of hell.

Rising Hell will be available for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, as a boxed Limited Edition and Special Limited Edition, with pre-orders kicking off on Sunday, December 12th, at 12 AM CET (midnight), only at Strictly Limited Games.

😼 Astro Aqua Kitty | Nintendo Switch | Review | 6.5/10 | "Is it the cat's meow?" 😼 @TIKIPODltd #IndieGames #IndieGame #GameDev

Astro Aqua Kitty is the action RPG shmup follow-up to the well-received, Aqua Kitty!

As adorable as the kitties are in Astro Aqua Kitty, the hidden difficulty is very much not adorable. Not that difficult shmups are anything new or different. But kitties in an aquatic-space shmup, with RPG elements, do separate them from the pack.

🔥👼 Gynoug | Nintendo Switch | Review | 8/10 | "Mash. And mash I did!" 🔥👼 @RatalaikaGames #GameDev #IndieGame #IndieGames #Retrogaming #SHMUP

DEMONS ARE ATTACKING THE HEAVENS! You, the Angel of Wor is the only thing that stands in the way of THE DESTROYER and the Demons of Iccus, in this shmup classic.

I love the Sega Genesis or the Mega Drive to my good non-NA friends. I also like shmups a great deal, despite not being the best at them. I was reminded of just how not good I was when I was struggling with the 1st level of Gynoug for over an hour – only to be brutalized once I made it to the 2nd stage, immediately. I wasn’t getting frustrated with the game, but more myself and my lack of understanding of the game. 

I was collecting orbs and power-ups, some would do things passively like make my rate of fire more spread out, shoot behind me etc. But I had no idea what was going on for the most part - I was just using my basic attack, and sheer instinct to get me through. I knew this wouldn’t last, so I knew exactly what I had to do. Mash. And mash I did. I eventually figured out how to properly use my power-ups, spells, and speed boosts. 

🔠 Word Forward | Nintendo Switch | Review | 8.5/10 | "Word Up" 🔠 @thalamusdigital #IndieGame #IndieGames #GameDev

Amidst all the 100+ hours of RPG-ing, shooting, adventuring and racing, sometimes it’s nice to take things slow and get casual. Word-based games have always held an allure for me and I’m pleased to say that Word Forward is the newest title to suck me in.

👨‍🍳 Epic Chef | Nintendo Switch | Ten Minute Taster | "Chef Raekwon" 👨‍🍳 @EpicChefGame #IndieGame #IndieGames #GameDev

Get ready to embark on a comedic culinary quest unlike any other as you take on the role of Zest in this story-driven adventure game; from humble beginnings, you will build a farm, grow delectable ingredients, craft machinery and cook your way to becoming the most Epic Chef in Ambrosia!

Watch Me Take On My First Jobs in Ambrosia as we take a ten-minute taster of this cool indie game!

Last Ninja 2 | Reformation Vinyl | Review | "I just enjoyed wandering around, being a ninja" @mattgrayc64 #VideoGameVinyl #Vinyl #VGVinyl #LastNinja2

https://6581records.com/products/reformation-last-ninja-2-double-picture-disc-vinyl-downloads-matt-gray

It’s always a pleasure to be blindsided by pure joy and, when this Last Ninja 2 vinyl arrived, I couldn’t believe how quickly I became completely infatuated with it. Over two weeks on from arrival, it is still getting daily spins in my record player with no signs of slowing up. For the record, the A-side of this album consist of three songs that are so strong that they rank up there at the top of the genre in terms of album kick-offs, it’s unbelievably good stuff.

📚📒 The Art of Creaks | Book | Review 📚📒 @Amanita_Design #IndieGames #IndieGame #GameDev

Purchase Link - https://merch.amanita-design.net/products/the-art-of-creaks

Creaks is a game that is very much adored by its fanbase for the care and craft that was clearly put into it, resulting in a title whereby the visuals and music are just as important as the fundamental gameplay.

It therefore makes sense - following the ‘making of’ documentary focusing on the music of Creaks (https://youtu.be/67S-rAyku3U) - that a book dedicated to the art is released. As was made clear in my review of Creaks a few months ago - https://www.gamesfreezer.co.uk/2021/06/creaks-review-xbox-series-x-910.html – it is a game that really made an impact on me and I often find myself discussing it or listening to the soundtrack, and now – I can get lost again in those wonderfully detailed visuals thanks to The Art of Creaks.

🐦🦃 Beyond A steel Sky | Nintendo Switch | Gameplay | "Big Steve Is A Right Pain!" 🐦🦃 @RevSoftGames #IndieGames #IndieGame #GameDev

From Charles Cecil, creator of the Broken Sword series, with art direction by Dave Gibbons, legendary comic book artist behind ‘Watchmen’, comes ‘Beyond a Steel Sky’, the long awaited sequel to the cult classic ‘Beneath a Steel Sky’.

You are Robert Foster. A child has been abducted in a brutal attack. You have vowed to bring him home. But the trail has led you from your community of desert wasteland dwellers, to Union City, one of the last remaining mega-cities in a world ravaged by shattering wars, and political meltdown.

Fortified and impenetrable, it is a utopia in which people live happily under the surveillance and control of a benign AI. But all is far from what it seems...

‘Beyond a Steel Sky’ is a dramatic, humorous, cyberpunk thriller in which engaging puzzles drive a fast-paced narrative set in a dynamic game world that responds to – and is subverted by – the player’s actions.

🚜 Farming Simulator 2022 | PC | Ten minute Taster | "We Plough The Fields & Scatter" 🚜 @farmingsim #GameDev #IndieGames #IndieGame

In Farming Simulator 22 you get to create your farm and let the good times grow! 

Harvest crops, tend to animals, manage productions, and take on seasonal challenges.

I manage to do none of this in my ten-minute taster but I'm ready for more by the end!

 

🚀🐟 G Darius HD | Nintendo Switch HD | Review | 7.5/10 | "Laser Duels With Hulking End Level Bosses .... YES PLEASE!" 🚀🐟 @ININ_Games #Retrogaming #SHMUP

G-Darius HD comes in all guns blazing on my Nintendo Switch and once again we have another absolute classic SHMUP gunning its way through new audiences on the Switch as the list of legendary Shoot Em Ups on the console grows longer and longer.

Flying through a level on this beautiful conversion of the arcade game on your switch is a joy to behold as you pivot and swivel through enemy waves with pinpoint accurate controls and classic arcade visuals.